This invention relates generally to prime movers driven by the force of the wind and, more particularly, to a sail-type wind-driven prime mover wherein the area of the sails thereon facing the wind is automatically adjusted and regulated and in which, if desired, the sails can be readily manually adjusted.
Sail-type wind-driven prime movers for driving electric generating means are illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,936,233 and 1,334,485. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,936,233, adjustable shutters are provided to maintain a substantially constant force on the sail elements so that the driving means will rotate at substantially constant speed. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,334,485, the sails are regulated as to position or attitude by centrifugal force.
The devices in each of these patents are of complex construction, costly to build and maintain, and regulation of the rotation of their driving means under varying wind conditions is relatively inefficient.